


Missing Hope

by Kyuubiluver342



Category: RWBY
Genre: Graphic Description, Graphic Description of Corpses, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2019-05-25 18:49:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14983349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyuubiluver342/pseuds/Kyuubiluver342
Summary: Ruby goes missing and the team goes nuts trying to get her back.





	Missing Hope

Missing Hope

Beacon Academy, a school that trains the next generation of hunters and huntresses. Known throughout the world for its scores of talented hunters, it was a school to envy and on this day, the school was hosting a festival to end all festivals. Put on by the school itself, the local town was filled to the brim with people of all ages, hunters, civilians and students, all interacting and celebrating the end of winter and the start of spring. A group of young women walked towards the festival, one girl in a red hood eagerly darted ahead, only to stop when no one bothered to keep up with her.

Ruby: Come on, everyone! We should have been there already!

Ruby Rose, leader of team RWBY, pouted at the group, annoyed they were taking so long. A tall blond haired girl laughed and grabbed the other in a headlock, rubbing her fist into the other’s head.

Yang: Relax, Sis! You act like the festival is going to end soon! It hasn’t even been open an hour yet!

The young girl managed to feel herself and glared, reaching up to fix her hair. Yang Xiao Long was Ruby’s older sister and the heavy hitter of Team RWBY. Ever energetic, Yang was always up for a good party.

Blake: Yang is right, Ruby. Classes start up again tomorrow, so let’s take a moment to relax.

Blake Belladonna was the calmer, collected part of Team RWBY. Even now, her nose was hidden in a book, reading as she walked, trusting her teammates to make sure she didn’t trip. Yang yanked the book from her hands and smirked. 

Yang: I’m sure we are more interesting than your book, Blake!

Blake tried to get it back, but Yang just laughed. The book was snatched from Yang by a white haired young girl, who handed it back to Blake.

Weiss: Leave her be, Yang! At least she reads the required reading, unlike some people!

Yang scratched the back of her neck while the young heiress started to rant at her. The final part of Team RWBY was the Schnee family heiress, Weiss Schnee. Ever serious and proud, Weiss kept her team in line, most of the time anyway. As they continued to walk, Ruby let out a squeal.

Ruby: There it is! I can’t wait to visit the weapon stands! Weiss will you come with me?

Always the weapon enthusiast, Ruby was always happy to spend her time learning about new weapons and talk to weapon makers about them. Weiss grabbed the back of her hood, making her choke.

Weiss: First things first, we promised to meet Pyrrha and the others for lunch! You can look at your weapons later. And second, no way, I don’t want bother with such things.

Ruby whined, but couldn’t complain too much. Food was just as good as weapons to her, so she couldn’t really fight the other girl. Yang snickered and make a whipping notion to Ruby behind Weiss’ back. Ruby just stuck her tongue out at the other while Blake sighed.

Blake: Weiss is right. We did promise to meet them before we walked around. It would be rude to keep them waiting.

The group continued on, stopping at a small stall near the start of the festival. Another group was waiting there for them, moving to make room in the booth for the team. Team JNPR was made up of Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren. Nora, as usual, was speaking loudly, making puns and jokes while Yang egged her on and Ren tried to stop her. Weiss and Pyrrha spoke quietly about upcoming classes and their expectations for the next semester while Ruby and Jaune spoke of creating new strategies for their teams. Blake was perfectly happy to talk with Ren and read her book at the same time.

Nora; Alright, so after this, what is everyone looking to do? I want to run over to the game section!

Nora smiled and Ren sighed loudly, knowing already she was probably going to cause a lot of needless damage. Yang laughed and Pyrrha just shook her head.

Pyrrha: Jaune and I wanted to check out some of the stalls, see what they were selling.

Jaune, always looking for a chance to hang out with Weiss, immediately turned her way.

Jaune: Weiss, care to join us?

The heiress rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

Weiss: No, thank you. I plan on spending some time by myself. 

Jaune seemed to shrink back a bit and Pyrrha just pat him on the shoulder in comfort. Yang snickered before Blake elbowed her in the side.

Blake: Yang and I want to check out a book stand I saw nearby.

Ruby: I plan on going to the weapons stalls and see what they have! So how about we all meet back up here at 4 to head back?

The group agreed and after their lunch, head off in different directions. Ruby smiled as she skipped over to the weapons area. The next hour was spent talking to various weapon masters about them and basically enjoying herself as she wandered around. At one point, she became thirsty and moved towards the food area to get something to drink. After getting her drink, she considered meeting up with her teammates sooner than she originally planned.

As she walked around, she heard what sounded like a baby crying.

Ruby: Huh?

Looking around, she took note of a bundle in a nearby alley. The sound seemed to be coming from there and she had to wonder. Making her way over, she knelt down and picked the bundle up. A shadow suddenly covered her and as she turned, she had no chance to defend herself. There was a sudden pain to the back of her neck and as the world when dark, she took note that she was surrounded and that the bundle in her arms was not a baby at all, but a doll.

Ruby: Yang.

Her world went black.

Later on that day

Yang hummed as she stood outside the food stall, idly sipping on a soda. Blake was next to her, pleased as can be as she carried her bag of new books. Pyrrha and Jaune showed up first, both empty handed, but clearly having enjoyed themselves. Nora and Ren appeared next, Nora carrying a huge horse plush toy in her arms while Ren idly carried a much smaller cat doll. Weiss was last to appear, carrying a bag and wearing some new shoes that she proudly showed off. As they stood there, Yang began to feel a little unnerved. She took out her scroll and dialed Ruby, but Ruby didn’t answer, the scroll going right to message.

Yang: Hey, anyone seen Ruby?

Weiss: Probably still in the weapons area. We should probably go drag her away.

The group nodded and moved towards the area. It was pretty empty, most people having moved on, but one by one, they asked each stall owner if they had seen Ruby. Most of them remembered the young energetic girl, but most of them couldn’t say the last time they had seen her. The more they asked around, the more Yang felt nervous. She started to rub her hands, idly playing with her gauntlets to try and calm her heartbeat.

Jaune: So now what? Where do we go from here?

Yang took the lead, moving towards the food area, but no Ruby. They wandered around the festival, calling for Ruby and asking people about her. Despite her unique appearance, it seems like no one knew where the team leader had gone. Weiss was starting to get antsy and Blake looked nervous. Yang felt a cold grip wrap around her lungs. Ruby was nowhere to be found, no one had seen her in hours. Where had she gone? As the group spoke among themselves, Yang stepped away and pulled out her scroll again and rang it. She was startled to hear Ruby’s ringtone go off nearby. Walking into an alley, she felt ice go through her veins as she looked at the scroll on the ground.

Yang: Guys?

Yang’s voice was shaking and Blake was beside her in seconds. She placed a hand on his arm before looking down.

Jaune: Is that?

Yang: Someone call the police. That’s Ruby’s scroll.

The scroll was in the arms of a baby doll. The doll was creepy, with empty eye sockets and no hair. Within a few minutes, the police were there, taping off the alley while the police spoke with Yang and the others. Yang had her head in her hands, Weiss on one side, Blake on the other while Team JNPR was off to the side, speaking to the police separately. 

Officer: Is there anything or anyone you know who might take your sister? Any exes we should know about? Enemies? People who might have been watching your sister?

Yang: Ruby is a little girl! She shouldn’t even be dating! And no one was bothering her! I wouldn’t have let them!

Yang’s anger was on the verge of exploding. Someone had taken her sister, someone had come in while her back was turned and had taken Ruby. How was she supposed to explain that to their father? To Qrow? God, Ruby had been so excited for them to be on the same team and she had failed her. Yang grit her teeth and tried to calm her breathing. They all looked up when they heard a commotion and Yang swallowed when she saw Ozpin appear with Glynda.

Ozpin: I heard one of my students is missing, so I came as soon as I could. Please tell me you have something?

The officer sighed and pointed to the alley.

Officer: To be honest with you, sir, we have some idea of what is going on, but none of it is good. We got news this morning about some issue Mistral had with missing girls. The MO is the same, girl gets taken and a piece of them is left behind at the crime scene with a doll. 

Glynda: Mistral? Why did we not hear about this? We have several young students in our school, so we should have been informed right away.

Officer: No one is sure if it is one person or a group. That makes it that much harder. We only got the information this morning as well, so we haven’t had a chance to tell the citizens yet, much less the school.

Yang just shook her head. Ruby had been taken for no reason then? Just another girl in a long list of girl who had disappeared without a trace?

Yang: And did they find these girls?

The officer looked at her and then looked down and Yang could have been sick. She grabbed the front of his jacket and shook him.

Yang: Answer me!

Her hair was starting to stand on end and her eyes were red. She was so close to losing her temper and everyone could see it.

Weiss: Yang, stop!

Weiss grabbed her hands and tried to pull them off. Yang had to resist the urge to just smack her away, to keep her grip on the other until he told her what she wanted to know.

Officer: They did find them, but not the way anyone wanted to.

Yang stared at him, her eyes filling with tears as she let him go. She felt like her world was crumbling and could only imagine what her sister was going through.

Yang: Ruby.

Elsewhere.

Ruby woke up after some time because of the cold. Something cold was pressed again her back and it was uncomfortable. Opening her eyes, she moaned as the bright light dug into her eyes. She turned her head away and blinked a few times to clear the dots in her eyes. Where was she? Why was it so cold? Was she naked?

She could feel her uncovered back on the cold table below her. Unnerved and a little wary, Ruby tried to get up, but her body wouldn’t move. Nothing from her fingers to her toes would move and she began to panic. She was covered by a sheet only and that made her nauseous. 

Female Voice: She’s awake, Doctor.

Male Voice: Excellent! Excellent! We can get started then!

A women stepped up to the table and Ruby eyed her nervously. She was tall, built like a tank with long blonde hair and deep blue eyes. Her hands came up and Ruby’s head was forcefully turned to face the ceiling again. Ruby winced and tried to get free, but the hands were like steel on the sides of her head.

Ruby: Wait, what are you doing? What’s going on?

Doctor: Calm yourself, my dear. Just relax. I understand you’re nervous, but it will be fine, I promise you that. Just a few tests and you will be home before you know it.

Ruby: Really?

Ruby was hopefully, but a scuff from the woman above her made that die quickly. 

Doctor: Really, Marina? You wish to scuff in our friend’s face? How rude.

The man’s voice was cold and Ruby could feel the woman’s hands shake. She could see someone lean into the light and she could finally see this so called “Doctor”. He was tall, very thin with a long face and wide, dark eyes. His hair was black, tied into a ponytail over one shoulder.

Marina: I apologize, Doctor. Please continue.

Doctor: Thank you. Now then, tell me, dear, what about yourself do you like? Your eyes? Your nose? Your hair maybe?

Ruby stared at him and wondered what he was talking about.

Ruby: I like everything about me. 

Doctor: Dear, please, I am here to help you. If there is something you don’t like, tell me and we can fix it! I can make you perfect.

The way his said perfect was worrying. It was almost twisted sounding and Ruby felt sick.

Doctor: Ah, maybe you are worried I don’t know what I am doing. Quite understandable, my dear. Let me show you some of my work. Marina, if you would.

The hands moved away and suddenly the table moved until she was upright. The movement made her head spin and she had to close her eyes and get her stomach to settle, but when she did, she almost wished she hadn’t. There must have been hundreds of pictures covering the wall, split between five sections, each focusing on one person. All of them were girls like her and each picture seemed to show a progression of surgery.

Doctor: I was a doctor for many years, you see. One of the best in Mistral. I worked on everyone from the common girl to princesses. I made them beautiful, I made them perfect.

There was that word again, perfect seemed to mean a lot to him. He moved towards the wall and stood before it, staring at the wall.

Doctor: I lost everything though. Everything I worked so hard for. One of my patients had a bad reaction to my surgery and her family took me for all my worth. Said I blotched it on purpose, that I did it just to ruin their beloved daughter. No one could believe that it was a simple mistake. I was a laughingstock, watched everything I worked for disappear overnight.  I walked away with the clothes on my back and a burning desire for people to see how beautiful they can be.

He nodded his head as if it all made sense. To Ruby, it sounded terrifying to her and as she looked at the pictures, she realized there was no way these girls survived.

Ruby: Who are they? Why did you do this to them?

Doctor: I am so glad you asked! Let me show you!

He ripped two pictures off the wall in the first section and showed them to her. It was a young woman with brown hair and brown eyes in both. The first showed her awake, eyes wide with fright and tears rolling down her face. The second showed her covered in scars, eyes closed and skin pale.

Doctor: She was my first, always special in the long run. I took her off the streets, brought her to my office and got to work. She told me she hated her cheeks, so I fixed them, made them more symmetrical. Fixed her eye sockets to make them wider, to give her a more innocent look. Fixed her chin and forehead. She was so beautiful in the end, but her soul was weak. She didn’t even stick around to see how she looked in the end. All that time, wasted.

He placed the two pictures back and grabbed two move from the next section. Another girl, this time with blue eyes and green hair. She too was crying, but she looked more pissed than afraid. The second picture showed her covered in scars, eyelids open, but eyes missing.

Doctor: This little firecracker was a problem. She didn’t come quietly like my first one, she fought me tooth and nail. Even bit me at one point! Refused to tell me what she wanted fixed, so I took my time. Adjusted her eyebrows to make them more even, fixed her nose and even tried to make her eyes look nicer. I even went ahead and fixed some issues she had with her legs! She too left me before I had a chance to finish. Truly sad.

Ruby looked at the other woman in the room, trying to understand what she was hearing. The woman stared blankly ahead, seemed almost bored with the whole discussion. The doctor snapped his fingers and Ruby looked back at him.

Doctor: Pay attention! I want you to understand what good hands you are in, my dear. So that you can get an understanding of my skills.

He walked back and replaced the pictures before grabbing two more. He stood there a moment, hold them and looking them over himself before turning to Ruby again and smiling.

Doctor: This one came to me herself. She hated how she looked and I can’t blame her. She became my perfect specimen, truly wonderful.

The pictures she saw this time explained everything. To the left was a picture of a girl with black eyes and dull blonde hair. She was kind of cute looking, but the picture showed her emptiness. The second picture made Ruby understand, it was Marina. A picture of her as she looked now, staring into the camera with a new face.

Doctor: Marina came to me, angry and bitter. She felt ugly compared to her beautiful sister. She wanted to be beautiful too and I made her beautiful. In exchange, she gave me her life to do with as I pleased.

He moved back and placed the picture back on the wall before moving to the last section. This section only had one picture and the man pulled it down with a smile.

Doctor: Now, we come to my most recent girl.

The picture was of her, unconscious and Ruby felt fear. She was his next victim, his fourth victim. He was going to do to her what he did to the others and she might not even survive it.

Ruby: Please don’t do this. I like myself the way I am. I like how I look.

The doctor shook his head and sighed. He seemed almost disappointed, like he had expected her to act differently.

Doctor: My dear, a trained professional like myself can see all of your faults. You might not see it, but it is my duty to make you see and fix them for you. I promise, I will make you perfect.

Ruby shook her head as the table began to move back to place.

Ruby: No, stop! Please stop!

The doctor laughed and moved away from her as Ruby was moved until a horizontal position and Marina began to hold her head once more. Ruby screamed when she saw the knife in his hand.

Doctor: I will make you perfect.

Back at Beacon

Yang sat on her bed and tried not to cry. Ozpin and Glynda had forced them to go back to the school with Team JNPR and while usually Yang would be more than happy to ignore that order, but Ozpin had promised to come talk to her when he was done, a promise he knew better than to forget. Blake sat on the windowsill, looking out across the courtyard. Weiss sat at her desk, idly cleaning her weapon.

Yang: She could be dead by now.

Weiss: Don’t say that.

Yang: She could be in a ditch, crying for me.

Weiss: Don’t say that!

Yang: I need to find her! She needs me! She could be hurt, or dying and I need to find her.

Weiss jumped to her feet and glared, hands shaking and eyes wet with tears.

Weiss: Don’t say things like that! Ruby is fine, she has to be fine!

Blake: Stop, both of you. We will find Ruby, but right now, we need more information. Which means we wait until Headmaster Ozpin comes back.

Just then a knock came at the door and Weiss opened it to see Ozpin standing there.

Ozpin: May I come in?

Weiss: Is there any news?

Weiss moved out of the way and Ozpin came in, following by Team JNPR. They all sat around while Ozpin took his place in the middle.

Ozpin: I have some news, but nothing on Ruby so far. I have spoken to Mistral and they have given me some additional information, and I will warn you now, none of it is good. The person or persons who have taken Ruby have taken three girls from Mistral over the past three months. Two girls were found dead two weeks after they went missing. 

Yang: So Ruby might have a chance?

There was hope in her voice and both teams started to look at way. Ozpin paused and looked down.

Ozpin: There is, but to be honest with you all, if she does come back, she might not look the same.

Weiss: Look? Don’t you mean act?

Ozpin: No, Ms. Schnee, I mean look. The other girls’ faces and bodies were mutilated beyond recognition. It took several different ways to ID both girls found. The third girl has never been found to this day.

Yang covered her mouth and Weiss looked horrified. Blake paled to the point that she looked like she might faint, so Nora reach out to steady her.

Yang: So what? Do we have any idea where she is? We need to start looking right away!

Yang jumped to her feet, but so did Ozpin. He held out his hands and shook his head.

Ozpin: I can’t allow that. Ms. Xiao Long, please understand that any of you could be taken as well. We have no idea how many people are involved with this. It could be a group of people doing this. Please understand that I have sent out letters to several hunters in the area to come assist us. I’m sorry, but I must insist you stay here.

Yang: Are you joking? Ruby is missing! I need to find her! She needs me!

Yang’s hair was starting to move and her eyes flashed. Pyrrha and Nora both got to their feet, ready to tackle her if she got out of hand. Ozpin placed a hand on her shoulder and her hair flattened.

Ozpin: I understand your anger, I do, but going after her and getting hurt yourself will do nothing, but cause her pain. Please understand.

Ozpin took that time to leave and Team RWBY was left alone with Team JNPR

Nora: So that’s it? We just wait?

Ren: What can we do? If we try to get in the way, it could cost us more than just our place at Beacon.

Jaune: But Ruby needs us.

Everyone looked at each other before Yang walked to her bed, crawled in and just curled up in a ball. Blake sat next to her and placed a hand on her back. The silence was deafening. 

Back with Ruby, two days later

The pain was ungodly. Ruby was pretty sure she had never felt so much pain in her life. He had decided to start with her left side of her face. So far he had cut open her cheek, adding and taking away things to make it look more like her right cheek. Ruby was pretty sure she understood why the other girls had died from the pain. Besides her cheek that was now covered with a scar, he had also started examining her hands and feet to see if he wanted to do anything to them as well. Ruby knew that is he did anything to her limbs, it would be game over, she would never get free and she would never become a huntress.

So she had waited, bidding her time. Every few hours, Marina would come in and shove pills and water down her throat, but this time Ruby had managed to get them to her cheek and just swallow the water to get some energy. When she had left, she spit them out and waited. She was starting to feel in her arms and legs again, so it was now or never. 

She slowly got up, thankful they never bond her to the table before moving towards the door. It was unlocked and she looked around. It was definitely underground based on the walls, but where was she?

Ruby: No time to think about it, just move.

She moved down the hall, quickly and quietly, bare feet on the ground as she tried to make her way. She had no idea where they were or if she would see them, but she had no doubt if they caught her, it would be bad. She heard a yell some time later and cursed before bolting. No time to be quiet anymore.

She saw a large steel door before her and burst through it, finding herself in a sewer. She jerked the door shut and ran as fast as she could. She came to a ladder and with her speed, flew right up it. She burst out the manhole and darted out of the alleyway. She was out, she was free, but now she had to find help.

Meanwhile.

Yang ran her hands through her hair, making the already messed up locks even worse. Blake grabbed her hand and pulled it out. They had walked up and down every street, checked every shop, searched everywhere for her missing sister and nothing. Two days and nothing. She had nothing and no one else did either. The sky was starting to darkening and they had to get back soon for dinner. 

Weiss: We need to get back for dinner.

Yang looked at her. Weiss maybe had it the worst out of them all. She blamed herself, wondering why she didn’t just go with Ruby when she asked. Maybe she would still be here. Maybe they both would have been taken. No knew and that was unnerving.

Voice: Yang! Weiss! Blake!

Two days of not hearing that voice made them all jump and turn and there she was, wrapped in little more than a white sheet with nasty looking stitches under one eye, Ruby was a sight. Yang was before her in seconds and Ruby latched onto her, clinging to Yang like she hadn’t since she was a kid. The tears made her stitches hurt, but she couldn’t help it. Blake and Weiss stood there, eying the empty streets for possible threats, but there was no one. Eventually, Ruby passed out and Yang carried her into a nearby bar.

Yang: Call the police! Call them now!

The bartender rushed to do as she demanded as Yang sat down in a chair. She ripped the table cloth off a nearby table and wrapped Ruby in it for extra cover.

Yang: She’s alive. She’s back and she’s alive.

Weiss: And we won’t let them get away with it.

The police were there soon enough, followed by Ozpin and Qrow, who came from Beacon. Yang only let Ruby go when they placed her in an ambulance to be checked out and even then she got in to ride with her. She rode all the way and the more she looked at Ruby, the angrier she became. Someone had done this to her, someone had hurt her for no reason. And she would get them for this, mark her words she would.

The next day.

Ruby sat in her hospital bed, staring out the window in silence. The doctors had taken her right into surgery when she got here last night. She had been in there for hours as they removed what he had put in, fixed the scar to make it heal nicer. They stitched her up and basically told her she would be on strict bed rest until they made sure the scar wasn’t going to cause permanent damage. So far, they could see that her smile wasn’t as wide anymore, that side of her face didn’t move as it should, but Ruby was just thankful to be alive.

The door opened and she smiled as Yang, Tai and Qrow entered. Strictly family for right now. Weiss had made a scene about it apparently, but she wasn’t going to push it too much.

Tai: Hey there, how are you feeling?

He handed over a bag and she smiled. It was some old clothes, including an old hood she had.

Ruby: Feeling better already. Will feel a lot better when I can go back to Beacon.

That got a small chuckle from the group, but it soon died out. They all sat in silence before Qrow finally coughed and leaned in.

Qrow: Ruby, the police are going to come and want to talk to you about what happened. Are you ok with that?

Ruby looked down and nodded. She glanced at Qrow.

Ruby: There were other girls, weren’t there? Like me?

Everyone looked startled, but Qrow nodded.

Qrow: Yes and none of them survived, except you.

Ruby: No, not just me. Another girl did too. She was there. She is helping him.

The three looked startled and horrified.

Qrow: Ruby, if you want to tell us, you can, but you will have to tell the police too.

Ruby: I don’t mind. I just feel a little confused still. I don’t understand why he picked me or why he picked anyone. He wanted to make them perfect.

She shivered a bit when she said it and had to wonder what horrible things could have happened to her if she hadn’t escaped. Just then the door opened and the police detectives filed in. They explained what would happen and told her to start whenever.

Ruby: I was at the festival and got thirsty, so I went for a drink. As I was walking, I heard a baby crying and saw a bundle. I thought maybe something had happened, so I went to see, but I was hit from behind.

Yang was holding her hand and Ruby could only smile at her in thanks.

Ruby: I woke up on a table. There was a man and a woman. She called him “Doctor” and he called her “Marina”. He explained that he came from Mistral, that he had been a doctor who had been sued by a patient and lost everything. He was kidnapping girls to make them perfect. Two before me died, but Marina was the third girl and she lived and was helping him. He had these pictures of them covering this wall, every picture showing them in various states of surgery. Every picture showed what he did to them like he was proud. He kept asking me what I wanted fixed and I told him nothing, so he decided to fix me his way. He cut open my cheek and I think he was going to work on my hands next.

Tai looked sorrowful, Yang looked furious and Qrow looked like a combo of the two. Ruby explained where she had escaped from and what the two looked like. When she was done, she was exhausted. The police left and Qrow followed them out, but Tai and Yang stayed with Ruby as she drifted off. Her face hurt and this had dampened her spirit a little, but this would just make her a strong huntress in the end and she couldn’t wait to get back to Beacon when she woke up.

Meanwhile

The Doctor was on a rampage. He had already destroyed the room the girl had escaped from and now he was focused on destroying the empty home they had claimed at their own. Marina watched it all with boredom, waiting for him to just get over it. Calmly, she played with her hair, enjoying the silky feel of the hair between her fingers. People would probably wonder why she was working for him, letting him do as he pleased and not trying to stop him. Those people could never understand the joy he had brought to her life.

She had been born ugly, with ugly hair and a disgusting face. Her parents often shied away from her, focusing their attention on her beautiful sister. With her golden hair and bright eyes, her sister had been the bane of her existence. The hatred had built up for so many years, watching as the beautiful people around her were successful while she struggled. She had heard about the doctor when his practice had gone under and while it had taken a while to find him, he promised to make her perfect.

Marina: Doctor, what is the plan?

The man paused and looked at her, eyes wild. She shivered a bit and had to step back a bit, wondering if today was the day he ended her life.

Doctor: We find her. She’s not done yet! Not even close! I refuse to have my reputation connected to her when she looks like that! Now, go get her!

Marina sighed and nodded. She grabbed a coat and a hat before leaving the house. She would find the girl, if it was the last thing she did. As she walked through town, she passed by a young woman with long blonde hair. Yang was on a mission and so was Marina. Who would succeed and who would fail?

Back at the hospital

Ruby stared at the mirror and just studied herself. The scar was going to heal pretty well, or so the doctors told her. It would leave a noticeable scar, but it wouldn’t be too bad. She wasn’t allowed to touch it in case it got infected, but she kind of wanted to. Sighing, she moved out of the bathroom and back into her room. Tai had left to get some food, Qrow was working with the police to track down the man and Yang had to return Beacon. Ruby was bored and wished she had something to do.

Getting back into bed, she lay down and just stared at the ceiling. She closed her eyes a bit, but behind her eyes she saw the bright light, his face staring down at her, knife in hand. She jerked awake and lay there, covered in sweat. She never thought about how it would affect her, never considered that she might think about it after she escaped. She sighed and ran her hand through her hair as the door opened.

Tai entered with a tray of food. Ruby smiled and sat up, taking the tray from him.

Tai: How are you feeling?

Ruby: Tired, sore. Bored.

She started to eat, hunger clawing at her stomach as Tai sat down, coffee in hand. He watched her and it was a bit unnerving.

Ruby: Dad?

Tai: Hm, yeah?

Ruby: You’re staring.

Tai: Ah sorry, didn’t mean to.

He looked away, but he looked like he wanted to say something. He finally gathered his courage and smiled at her.

Tai: You know I am proud of you right?

Ruby paused, fork hanging from her mouth, as she looked at him. She was startled, not expecting that.

Tai: I was so scared when I heard you were missing. I kept wondering.

Ruby: If I would die, like mom did?

Tai looked at her, eyes sad and lost.

Tai: With your mother, we knew how she died, but I was worried I would never know about you. His third victim was never seen again, according to Qrow. I worried that I would never find out what happened.

Tai went quiet and Ruby found herself understanding his fear. For mom, he had a place to go where he could mourn for her. If she went missing and died, there would be no closure like that. She nodded her head and looked down. He placed a hand on her arm and smiled at her.

Tai: Ruby, you were so brave, so smart. You escaped and you survived and we will find this guy because of you. You have a right to be proud of that.

Ruby: I know, but I can’t help, but wonder why? Why do this to people?

Tai: Sometimes you never know. Even if we did catch him, he might never tell us the real reason. Maybe the reason he told you is the truth, but we will never know for real. Sometimes, you need to let those feelings go.

Ruby smiled and nodded. She ate her food and felt a little better now that her stomach was full. The door opened just then and Qrow walked in with a file, the detectives following him.

Qrow: We need your help with something. We went ahead and gathered some pictures of doctors in Mistral who lost their licenses recently. We need you to look and see if he is in here. Are you ok with that?

Ruby thought about it and nodded, moving her tray off to the side as he handed her a few pictures. The first few weren’t even close and she ignored them, but when she got about half way through, she paused.

Ruby: It’s him. This was the doctor.

She looked over the picture and felt cold. He was staring at the camera with a cold look in his eyes. He looked younger, but not much different than when she had seen him.

Qrow: I see. His name is Doctor Richard Whiteman. He lost his license a few years ago after her permanently disfigured a young heiress in Mistral after what should have been a simple procedure. Her family sued him after she killed herself.

Ruby felt such sorrow. She could only imagine how horrible the girl had felt, how terrified and angry she felt afterwards.

Ruby: So, are you going to find him?

Qrow nodded his head and took the picture from her.

Qrow: Don’t worry, I will find him and he will pay. That I can promise.

Qrow got to his feet and Tai decided to follow him out. Ruby figured that her dad wanted to talk to him privately about the case. Ruby sighed and lay back down, but she wasn’t tired anymore and she found herself just staring out the window, letting the sun shine on her face. The warmth made her feel nice, but there was still a small part of her that felt fear. What if he came back? What if he tried to grab her again? Would she be able to escape again? Those questions bothered her and she wished she had some answers. She sighed and rolled over before closing her eyes.

Meanwhile

Yang was walking back to the hospital, Weiss and Blake by her side. The doctors had agreed to let them come, but only if it was a short visit. She hoped this visit would make Ruby feel a little better about everything. Maybe it would even help their team heal a little bit. As they entered the hospital and walked down the hall, they noticed a woman looking around, seemingly lost. She looked up and Yang felt something was off about her. Something about her just seemed so fake.

Weiss: Are you alright?

Woman: Yes, I apologize, I was trying to find my friend’s room. It’s room 245? Can you help me find it?

Yang frowned, that room was Ruby’s room, but Yang didn’t recognize this woman.

Yang: No sorry, we can’t help you.

Woman: Oh, thank you anyway.

The woman walked pass them and disappeared around the corner and though she was gone, Yang still felt tense.

Blake: Isn’t that Ruby’s room?

Yang: It is and I don’t trust that woman. Let’s go, I want to warn dad and Qrow about her.

They made it to Ruby’s room and she seemed to be asleep, so they walked a little farther down to talk to Tai and Qrow at the other end. As they talked, the woman peeked out from behind the corner and narrowed her eyes. She pulled out her scroll and held it up to her face.

Marina: I found her. She is in the hospital, but she is surrounded by people. I don’t know if we can grab her from here, we might have to wait.

Doctor: No, I will meet you outside the hospital tonight. I will finish what I started.

Marina looked at the scroll and sighed. She was turned and was about to walk away when she was grabbed in a headlock. She started to choke and looked back to see red eyes looking at her. Fear filled her veins as she met the eyes of the group of people, all with weapons at the ready.

Yang: Where. Is. He?

That night.

The doctor stood outside the hospital, waiting for Marina to appear, idly playing with the bag he had over his shoulder. As she came around the corner, her coat was on and her hat was down low.

Doctor: You found her?

Marina nodded and waved him her way. They walked in through a side door and made their way through the dark halls and the doctor was starting to get twitchy when they stopped in front of a door. Marina waved him in and he entered, smiling with delight when he took note of the young girl in the bed. He took a step forward, pulling a scalpel out of his bag when the lights snapped on and he found himself in a headlock. Looking back, he realized the person who he thought was Marina was instead Yang, who now had him trapped.

Yang: You came to the wrong neighborhood, motherfucker.

He watched as people piled into the room, including the police. He was grabbed from Yang’s arms and cuffed. As he stood there, Marina was dragged in. Her hair was a mess and her left eye was darkened. She looked like she had lost a fight and based on what he knew about her, she probably hadn’t had a chance. Ruby sat up from her bed then, looking at him in the eye. He hissed at the sight of her scar, angry because he could see these useless doctors had messed with it.

Doctor: How dare you! You ruined it!

Ruby just shook her head as he was dragged to his feet and dragged out of the room, Marina being dragged out behind him. Yang walked over and sat beside Ruby before hugging her.

Yang: Told you I would get him.


End file.
